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CONNECTICUT SOCIETY 



m OF ii[ iiiRim RmiuiioK. 



CONSTITUTION AND BY-liRWS. 



Organized April 2, 1889. Incorporated under the 
Laws of the State of Connecticut. 



CONSTITUTION 



CONNF-CTICUT SOCIETY 



OIS Of IH[ AlfBICIII ll[V0[UII9l. 



anopted at the annual meeting held in the clty of 
Hartfokd., May iith, 1891. 



ofkice:i>2:s. 

rHESlDENT. 

Jonathan Trumbull, Noiwicb. 

VICE PRESIDENT. * 

Hon. Ebenezer J. Uill, Norwalk. 

TREASURER. 

EuEL P. CowLES, New Haven. 

SECRETARY. 

Lucius F. lloBiNSON, Hartford. 

REGISTRAR. 

Joseph G. Woodward, Hartford. 

HISTORIAN. 

Frank F. Starr, Middletowu. 

CHAPLAIN. 

Eev. Wm. DeLoss Love, Hartford. 



BOARD OF MAN 
The following- with Ofticens ; 
Hon. Lucius l\ Deming, 
Franklin H. Hart, 
Dr. Rufus W. Griswold, 
Hon. Isaac i^. Bartram, 
Hob art L. Hotchkiss, 
John A. Porter, . 

KOWLAND B. LACEY, 

James O. May", 
Captain Henry E. Jones, 
Meigs H. Whaples, 
Edward D. Eobbins, 
Frank T. Maxwell, 
Jonathan F. Morris, . 
Dr. Leonard B. Alling, 
William Wallace Lee, 



AGERS. 
md Deleg^ates : 

ISTew Haven. 

New Haven. 

Eocky Hill. 

Sharon. 

New Haven. 

. Hartford. 

Bridgeport. 

Naugatnck. 

New Hartford. 

. Hartford. 

. Hartford. 

. Eockville. 

. Hartford. 

Norwich. 

Meriden. 



DELEGATES 



Gen. E. S. Greeley, 
Hon. Henry C. Eobinson, 
JosiAH M. Hubbard, 
John Henry Swartwout, 
Dr. W. a. M. Wain WRIGHT, 
Hon. Eufus S. Pickett, 



New Haven (at large). 
. Hartford. 
Middletowu. 
Stamford. 
. Hartford. 
New Haven. 



CONSTITUTION. 



ARTICLE I. 



NAME. 



The name of this Society shall be the Connecticut 
Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. 



ARTICLE II. 

national society. 

This Society is a part of the National Society of Sons of 
the American Revolution. It recognizes all State Societies 
of Sons of the American Revolution as co-equal and en- 
titled to receive from this Society such assistance and 
information as may best promote the objects for which 
these societies have been organized. 

ARTICLE in. 

OBJECTS. 

The objects of this Society are to perpetuate the memory 
and the spirit of the men who achieved American Independ- 
ence ; to encourage historical research in relation to the 



American Revolution ; to preserve documents, relics, and 
records of the individual services of revolutionary soldiers 
and patriots ; to mark, by appropriate monuments, historic 
places within this State ; to promote the celebration of 
patriotic anniversaries, and by these and similar means to 
impress upon the present and future generations the patriotic 
spirit which actuated our ancestors and established the Re- 
public of the United States of America. 

ARTICLE IV. 

MEMBERSHIP. 

Section i. Any man resident in Connecticut, and not 
less than twenty-one years of age, who is descended from 
an ancestor who with unfailing loyalty rendered material aid 
to the cause of American Independence in the War of the 
A.merican P^evolution, either as a military or naval officer, 
sailor, soldier, or official in the service of any of the original 
thirteen Colonies or States, or Vermont, or as a recognized 
patriot whose services are of public record, shall be eligible 
for membership in this Society if found worthy ; any man, 
wherever resident, who is descended from a Connecticut revo- 
lutionary ancestor who performed like service, shall be alike 
eligible. 

HONORARY MEMBERS. 

Sec. 2. Women may be admitted as honorary members, 
subject to the conditions as to age and descent established in 
the case of active members. 



APPLICATIONS. 

Si:c. 3. All api)lications for membership in this Society 
shall be made in duplicate, upon blank forms furnished by 
the Society. They shall be signed with the full name and 
address of the applicant, and shall also be signed by at least 
one member of the Society nominating and recommending 
the ap[)licant. 

ARTICLE V. 

OFFICERS. 

The officers of this Society shall be a President, a Vice- 
President, a Secretary, a Treasurer, a Registrar, a Historian, 
and a Chaplain, who shall be elected by ballot for the term of 
one year, and shall continue in office until their successors are 
elected, and qualified. 

ARTICLE VI. 

BOARD OF MANAGERS. 

Section i. There shall be a Board of Managers whose 
duty it shall be to conduct the affairs of the Society, which 
board shall consist of the officers of this Society, the dele- 
gates to the National Society, and fifteen others. 

Sec. 2. The Board of Managers shall have power to fill 
any vacancy occurring among the officers of the Society, 
the members of the Board, or delegates to the National 
Society. 



ARTICLE VII. 



MEETINGS, 



Section r. A meeting- for the election of officers and the 
transaction of business shall be held annually, in the City of 
Hartford, on the loth day of May (the anniversary of the 
capture of Fort Ticonderoga by a Connecticut expedition), 
or if said day lalls on Sunday then on the following day ; 
and a meeting for social purposes shall be held annually at 
such time and place as the Board of Managers may determine. 
At each annual meeting there shall be elected, in addition to 
the officers provided for in Article V., fifteen members of the 
]5oard of Managers, one delegate at large and one delegate 
for each one hundred or fraction of one hundred exceeding 
fifty members ; said delegates, together with such officers as 
are provided for by the Constitution of that body, shall 
represent this Society in all meetings of the National 
Society. 

Sec. 2. Ten members shall constitute a quorum at any 
meeting of this Society. 

Sec. 3. The hour for holding the annual meeting shall 
be 12 o'clock — noon — and the time and place for holding 
any special meeting, shall be designated by the Board of 
Managers. 

Sec. 4. Special meetings of the Society shall be called 
by the President, when directed so to do by the Board of 
Managers, or whenever requested in writing by fifteen or 



more nicmljcrs, on giving fifteen days' notice, specifying the 
time and place of such meeting and the business to be trans- 
acted. 

Sec. 5. Special meetings of the Board of Managers may 
be called by the President at any time, and shall be called 
upon the request of five members of the Board, made in 
wriling. Five members shall constitute a quorum at any 
meeting of the Board. 

Sec. 6. General business may be transacted at any special 
meeting of the Board of Managers, or of the Society. 

ARTICLE VIII. 
BRANCHES. 

LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS. 

Section i. Twenty-five members of this Society residing 
in any town or county of this State may send a written 
request to the Board of Managers asking authority to associ- 
ate as a Branch of this Society in such town or county ; and 
the Board of Managers may grant such request. 

NAME. 

Sec. 2. Local Branches shall be known as The 
Branch of the Connecticut Society of Sons of the American 
Revolution, No. 

officers. 

Sec. 3. Each Branch may have a President, Secretary, 
and Treasurer, and such other officers as the By-Laws of 
the I^ranch may determine. 



8 

MKMREKS. 

Sfx". 4. No person shall be admitted into a Branch, as a 
member, until after his admission into the State Society in 
the manner provided by the Constitution and Laws of this 
Society, and until he has paid the annual dues and fees as pro- 
vided l:)y said Laws. And any member, suspended or ex- 
pelled, or in any way losing his membership in the State 
Society, shall thereupon cease to be a member of the Branch. 

BY-LAWS. 

Six. 5. Each Branch may make by-laws, rules and regu- 
lations for its government so long as such by-laws, rules and 
regulations do not conflict, with the Constitution and Laws of 
this Society, nor with the Constitution and Laws of the 
National Society. 

ARTICLE IX. 

AMENDMENTS. 

This Constitution may be amended or repealed provided 
written resolutions to that effect are first presented to and 
approved by a majority of the Board of Managers, present at 
any meeting of said Board ; provided said amendments are 
subsequently approved by a majority of the members present 
at any meeting of the Society ; and, provided further, that 
whenever this Constitution is to be amended, repealed, or in 
any way changed, notice thereof, specifying said changes in 
full, shall be sent to each member of the Society at least ten 
days before such action is to be taken. 



BY-LAWS 



CONNECTICUT SOCIETY 



S9IS Of m miciN mvoiyiioH. 



BY-LAWS. 



FEES AND DUES. 



Section i. Applicants elected by the Board of Managers 
shall become members of this Society upon payment of tlie 
membership fee and dues for one year. For active members 
the membership fee shall be two dollars, and the annual dues 
two dollars. For honorary members, the membership fee 
shall be fifty cents and the annual dues fifty cents. The pay- 
ment of thirty dollars by an active member or of five dollars 
by an honorary member at an}^ one time, shall constitute the 
person paying such sum a life member, and such person 
shall thereafter be exempt from payment of annual dues. 

Annual dues shall be payable to the Secretary by enrolled 
members on the loth day of May in each year, but new 
members qualifying between the beginning of the calendar 
year and the date of the annual meeting, shall not be liable 
for the payment of dues during the next succeeding society 
year. 

A member who shall remain in arrears for dues for three 
months after notice of his indebtedness has been mailed to 
him, directed to his last known residence, may be dropped 
from the rolls by the Board of Managers, and may be re- 
instated in his membership by said Board upon the payment 
of his indebtedness to the Society. 



1 1 



PERMANENT FUNDS. 



Sec. 2. All receipts from life membership shall be set 
aside and invested under the direction of the Board of Man- 
agers as a permanent fund, of which only the income shall 
be used for the payment of ordinary expenses. 

MEMORIAL FUND. 

Sec. 3. There shall be a Memorial Fund to be used for 
the preservation of graves and monuments of Revolutionary 
soldiers and patriots ; the marking of historic spots ; and the 
purchase of historic places and buildings. This fund shall 
consist of all receipts from bequests, special subscriptions, 
and any regular funds of the Society, voted by the Board of 
Managers. 

SOCIAL MEETINGS. 

Sec. 4. The Society shall hold an annual meeting for the 
purpose of celebrating some event in revolutionary history, 
the time and place of holding such meeting to be determined 
by the Board of Managers; and said Board shall also deter- 
mine the manner of such celebration. 

MEETINGS OF THE BOARD OF MANAGERS. 

Sec 5. The regular meetings of the Board of Managers 
shall be held on the third Tuesday of April and October in 
each year. 



12 



PRESIDING OFFICER. 



Sec. 6. The President, or in his absence the Vice-Presi- 
dent, or in their absence a chairman //y^ tciii., shall preside at 
all meetings of the Society and of the Board of Managers, 
and shall have a casting vote. The presiding officer shall 
preserve order and shall decide all questions of order, subject 
to appeal to the meeting. 

DUTIES OF THE PRESIDENT. 

Sec. 7. The President shall be the official head of the 
Society. He shall perform such duties as usually pertain to 
that office and as are designated in these By-Laws. 

DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. 

Sec. 8. The Secretary shall receive all money from the 
members, and shall pay it over to the Treasurer, taking his 
receipt for the same. He shall conduct the general corre- 
spondence of the Society; shall notify members of their 
election and of such other matters as the Society may direct. 
He shall have charge of the seal, and such records of the 
Society as are not herein given especially in charge of other 
officers of the Society ; together with the presiding officer, 
he shall certify all acts and orders of the Society. He 
shall, under direction of the President or acting President, 
give notice of the time and place of all meetings of the 
Society and of the Board of Managers, and shall give such 
notices of the votes, orders, and proceedings of the Society 
as the Society or Board of Managers may direct. 



13 



DUTIES OF TREASURER. 



Sec. 9. The Treasurer shall have charge of the funds of 
the Society ; he shall receive all money from the Secretary, 
and give his receipt for the same, which money he shall 
deposit in the name of the Society, and shall pay out for the 
benefit of the Society only, in such sums as the Society or 
Board of iManagers may direct, and upon the order of the 
Secretary, countersigned by the President. He shall keep a 
true account of his receipts and disbursements, and at each 
annual meeting shall make a full report to the Society. The 
books of the Secretary and Treasurer shall be open to the 
inspection of the President and Board of Managers at all 
times. 

DUTIES OF THE REGISTRAR. 

Sec. 10. The Registrar shall receive all applications and 
proofs of membership. He shall examine the same, and re- 
port his opinion thereon to the Board of Managers. Imper- 
fect and incorrect applications may be returned to the appli- 
cant by the Registrar for correction or completion. After 
applications have been passed upon by the Board of Man- 
agers, he shall, if the applicant is accepted, forward one 
copy to the Registrar General of the National Society, and 
shall make a record of such parts of said application as he 
deems necessary, in a book of forms prepared for that pur- 
pose. The original application with the accompanying proofs 
shall be kept on file. He shall also have the custody of all 
historical, geographical and genealogical books, papers, manu- 



14 

scripts and relics of which the society may become possessed. 
He shall receive twenty-five cents for recording each ac- 
cepted application, and shall make a report in writing at each 
annual meeting. 

BOARD OF MANAGERS. 

Sec. 1 1. The Eoard of Managers shall judge of the quali- 
fications of applicants for membership, and sliall have control 
of the afiairs of the Society. They shall appoint an auditing 
committee and a committee on necrology. They shall have 
power to suspend or expel any member of the Society for 
sufficient cause, by a vote of two-thirds of the members of 
the Board present at any regular or special meeting. Pro- 
vided, that at least two weeks notice of such proposed action 
shall have been given to such member by notice mailed to 
him at his last known address. A member so suspended or 
expelled shall have the right to appeal to a meeting of the 
Society from the action of the Board of Managers. 

DUTIES OF THE HISTORIAN. 

Sec. 12. The Historian shall keep a record of all facts in 
connection with the Society which he may judge to be of his- 
toric value, and shall make a report in writing at each annual 
meeting. 

DUTIES OF THE CHAPLAIN. 

Sec. 13. The Chaplain shall perform such devotional and 
religious duties as may be called for by the Board of Man- 
agers in the course of business or exercises of the Society. 



15 

AMKNDMKNTS. 

Sec. 14. These by-laws shall not be altered, amended or 
repealed unless such alteration or amendment shall have been 
proposed in writing at a previous meeting of the I^oard of 
Managers, and entered upon the records, with the name of the 
member proposing the change, and also adopted by a majority 
of the members present at a regular meeting of the Society, 
or at a special meeting called for that purpose. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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